News & Events

With Schools Consolidating, Corning-Painted Post Rolls Out New Bus Routes

_{Written by Derrick Ek
August 26, 2014
From The Leader - Corning, NY} 

Devising ways to get 4,300 students to school and back in a district that covers 238 square miles is never an easy task, even in an ordinary year, says Larry Eccleston, director of  transportation for the Corning-Painted Post School District. 

But this isn’t an ordinary year, as the closing of the two old middle schools and the opening of the consolidated C-PP High School and C-PP Middle School next week made it necessary to revamp the bus schedule. 

“I’ve pretty much been going non-stop seven days a week,” Eccleston said. “Yesterday I was in the office from 5:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., and it’s probably going to be like that until school starts.” 

One of the biggest changes is that middle school students in the Northside and Southside neighborhoods in the City of Corning who used to walk to Northside Blodgett or Corning Free Academy will now be taking a bus up to the new middle school in Painted Post. 

Most students in the city neighborhoods will walk to central bus stops. 

“There’s 14 stops located throughout the city, and we worked with the Corning Police Department and tried to pick safer areas with less traffic,” Eccleston said. “We also tried to pick green spaces within the city, rather than having kids gather in front of a residence. For example, we used a lot of the parks - Canfield Park, McKinney Park - and some elementary buildings.” 

Bus routes in the outlying rural areas aren’t changing all that much, Eccleston said. 

C-PP staff worked through many logistical changes this summer as part of the consolidation process - moving teachers to new classrooms, figuring out new bell times and class schedules, and so on. 

But for parents, one of the biggest question marks seemed to be the bus routes. 

C-PP made an effort to address that, Superintendent Mike Ginalski. 

“I think we’ve taken a quantum leap in terms of communication with parents,” Ginalski said. “We’d always been a district where, if you wanted to know your child’s bus number, you’d have to call the bus garage. So we were really proactive in terms of sending the info out to parents early this year, and that’s going to be the way things are going forward.” 

It’s a three-pronged effort, said Bill Cameron, C-PP’s public information director.

Packets went out in the mail last week with bus route information, and there’s also information such as bus routes, pick-up times and drop-off times online under the “Parent Portal” section of C-PP’s website, www.corningareaschools.com. Parents are also being encouraged to call the C-PP bus garage at 962-2493 with any questions.  

“If in doubt, call them. They will respond. They will take the phone call. They’re very good about communication,” Cameron said.  

Some revised bus information is being sent out this week, and should arrive by Monday, Eccleston said. That’s to reflect last-minute changes - for example, if a family moved but didn’t notify C-PP of the new address, it can affect the whole route.  

Also new this year, C-PP will use route numbers on buses instead of bus numbers. 

Each bus will have an adjustable sign with the route number by the door. That way, if a bus has a mechanical issue and a different bus is used, it won’t confuse students as they leave after school - they’ll still be looking for the same route number.  

Also, the buses parked outside after school will be grouped together by zones, according to the areas where the students live, Eccleston added.  

A late bus run will be added for students participating in the new intramural program that begins in October at C-PP Middle School. The details for the late bus run will be worked out in September, Eccleston said. 

C-PP uses software called Transfinder to manage the bus routes. The district has its own bus fleet, and also contracts with four local bus companies - Birnie, Leland Harris, Loren Smith and Titus.  

The first days of school are Sept. 4 and Sept. 5.  

C-PP is using a staggered approach to help students get oriented at the new schools. On Sept. 4, elementary students will return along with grades 6, 11 and 12. On Sept. 5, grades 7, 8, 9 and 10 will return.